Teaming with microbes
by Jeff Lowenfels · first published 2006
9mentions
9recommended by
9HN commenters
2017–2024first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Accessible introduction to the soil food web and how soil microbes support plant growth, pitched at the right depth for gardeners and growers who want real understanding without heavy academic detail.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…With that said, living soil is not practical for everyone. Trying to do it indoors where you also live could create issues if you do not have a good IPM strategy, and fully understand the soil food web. "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels is an excellent book to learn about how the soil food web works.
on “What elements does a plant need to grow?” ↗Jeff Lowenfels wrote three books about soil enrichment that you may find interesting. 1. Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’Guide To The Soil Food Web 2. Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition 3. Teaming With Fungi: The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae…
on “Soil bacteria could improve crop yields, via fungi” ↗Read the book Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, about soil, recently - very interesting.
on “Soil: The world beneath our feet” ↗Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. Since last week. Good read I recommend it even if you are not into gardening understanding life in the soi is important.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?” ↗Same boat. I've spent a lot of time learning about permaculture, soil science, etc. I found "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis to be right at the level I needed - not so deeply into the weeds that it;s boring, not so surface that I don;t actually learn anything. This book is the first in a series,…
on “Ask HN: How to Learn Basic Botany?” ↗…where mycorrhizal fungi can really thrive. I'd recommend following the rules of ecological succession from a soil science perspective if you're interested. Jeff Lowenfels series (Teaming with Nutrients, Teaming with Microbes, and Teaming with Fungi) are great if you want something that goes deep into the biology, ecology, and biochemistry of it
on “First signs of spring have arrived in parts of south 3 weeks sooner than average” ↗Jeff Lowenfel’s “Teaming With Microbes” is a fantastic introduction to the soil food web and its implications for organic no-till farming. Highly Recommend. https://www.amazon.ca/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Rev...
on “Barley plants fine-tune root microbial communities through sugary secretions” ↗Teaming with microbes
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2017?” ↗Read “Teaming with Microbes” and other books in the series.
on “Ask HN: What to do with a coffee plantation with about 8000 trees?” ↗